'Israel' gathering intel on Egyptian Army in Sinai: Israeli media
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"Israel" has expressed security concerns after footage emerged showing Egyptian soldiers emerging from tunnels during military training in Sinai.
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Egyptian Army soldiers stand guard outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque, in the center of the largest protest camp of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, Cairo, Egypt, on August 16, 2013. (AP)
"Israel" has begun gathering intelligence on the Egyptian Army in the Sinai region, Israeli Channel 14's military affairs correspondent, Hillel Rosen, confirmed on Sunday.
According to Rosen, the Israeli security and military establishments have recently collected "testimonies indicating that the Egyptian army is repositioning itself in the Sinai Peninsula, in violation of the Camp David Agreement."
It is worth mentioning that the Camp David Accords, signed in 1979, stipulate in certain provisions the division of Sinai into three zones: A and B, which are limited to a specific number of forces, leading to Zone C, which is demilitarized and previously contained only lightly armed police forces. This zone was later modified to allow the presence of Egyptian military forces.
Rosen noted that the Egyptian army published short documentaries of its training exercises in the region, which include soldiers emerging from tunnels.
The analyst stated that the matter has reached security officials in the Pentagon, who have in turn sent messages to the Egyptian army requesting explanations for this development.
"Israel is monitoring the situation, but it has started gathering intelligence more significantly in the Sinai region and has not waited for the Americans," he added.
In the same context, Israeli website Natziv Net reported that "Israel is complaining for the first time about severe Egyptian violations of the peace agreement."
Meanwhile, The Jerusalem Post cited a "rare Israeli statement" made by the Israeli occupation’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, in which he expressed "concern over the significant military capabilities of the Egyptian army."
Danon questioned the motives behind Egypt spending hundreds of millions of dollars annually on acquiring advanced military equipment, despite the absence of threats on its borders, asking, "Why does Egypt need all these submarines and tanks?"
In an interview with the Israeli Kol Barama radio last Friday, Danon stressed that Hamas' operation on October 7, 2023, "necessitates caution," adding, "We have learned our lesson, and we must closely monitor Egypt and be prepared for any scenario."
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